UFC 123 main-card recap: Shocked "Rampage" awarded split-decision win

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – When the final bell sounded following Saturday’s “UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida” main event, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson raised the hand of Lyoto Machida in victory. When the two walked to the center of the cage for the official announcement, the opposite was true.

While Machida looked to have done enough in the 15-minute affair to earn his own decision win, two of the three judges at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich., disagreed.

Jackson, who looked as surprised as anyone when the final scores were read, was instead awarded the split-decision result after a tightly-contested affair.

As the bout opened, Jackson charged forward with punches, but the always-elusive Machida was able to evade any real damage. Instead, Machida relied on kicks to the legs and body as he tried to evade Jackson’s boxing attack. Jackson tried to control the action in the clinch, as well, and he resorted to a few footstomps against the cage, but there was little to differentiate between the two combatants.

The second round played out largely as the first, though Jackson appeared to open up the arsenal a bit and score with a touch more frequency. Keeping the pressure high, Machida had little room to dance and trade. Jackson scores a takedown along the way, though he did little to establish the position. Nevertheless, with two rounds in the books, the fight appeared up in the air.

While the first two frames were light on action, things picked up in the third. Jackson scored with his hands, though Machida immediately landed stiff counterstrikes that appeared to have his opponent in trouble. Jackson looked to answer, but Machida dumped him on the floor. With Jackson on his back, Machida looked in complete control. However, he didn’t take full advantage of the position and instead relied on control over damage.

When Machida did look for an armbar attempt, Jackson nearly powered into a vintage slam. Machida wisely released his legs and landed on his feet.

Jackson would try one final striking flurry, but Machida pulled him to the floor and finished the round there. It was a clear final frame for Machida, but when the total scores were tallied, it was Jackson who walked away the winner.

Following the result, Jackson (31-8 MMA, 6-2 UFC) admitted he was shocked to earn the result, but is now 3-1 in his past four octagon appearances. Meanwhile, Machida (16-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) has now dropped two-straight fights after opening his career with 16 consecutive wins.

Both fighters said they would be open to a rematch.

Penn shocks Hughes in 21-second stunner

A focused, in-shape B.J. Penn has proven throughout his career to be among the world’s best fighters. Apparently, that can still be true at 170 pounds.

Fighting at welterweight for the first time since a one-sided loss to Georges St-Pierre in January 2009, Penn overwhelmed longtime rival
Matt Hughes in shocking 21 seconds.

Penn was on the attack from the opening bell and came out swinging. As Hughes tried to return fire, Penn blasted the UFC Hall of Famer with a right hand that saw the legend crash to the canvas. Penn rushed to a loose mount and delivered several crushing follow-up shots that sealed the knockout result.

Penn sprinted from the cage in celebration, though he was quickly calmed and brought back to the octagon. Meanwhile, Hughes was forced to ask his cornermen what happened.

With the win, Penn (16-7-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) snaps a frustrating two-fight win streak and claims victory in a trilogy series with Hughes that began at UFC 46 in 2004.

Meanwhile, an obviously disappointed Hughes (45-8 MMA, 18-6 UFC) must again consider his future with little left to prove in the sport.

Falcao nearly taps Harris, settles for decision win

Carrying a gaudy 25-3 record into his UFC debut, Brazilian banger Maquiel Falco showed promise in stretches, but he and opponent Gerald Harris ultimately failed to keep the crowd’s interest.

The fight opened with a cautious feeling-out process by both fighters, though it was Harris’ jab that was doing the best work. Then Falco decided to fight, and his powerful kicks drew Harris’ attention. “Hurricane” scored a takedown, but it was Falco who reversed to the top and sunk in a rear-naked choke. The hold was deep, and Harris looked dangerously close to tapping, though he was saved by the bell.

That didn’t stop Falcao from cranking the choke, and he was peeled off by the referee, much to Harris’ dismay.

There was no penalty enforced, and the fight carried on in similar fashion in the second round.

Falcao again worked to the rear-naked choke position, and while Harris tried to slam out of the hold, the Brazilian remained tight on his back. Harris somehow survived as Falcao’s arm was trapped mainly on the chin, and the newcomer was forced to release the hold. Harris tried to turn the tides, but for the remaining round-and-a-half, he looked exhausted, and Falcao looked disinterested.

The final round played out to a chorus of boos with a complete lack of activity. Still, Falcao had done enough in the opening two rounds and walked away with the clear-cut decision, 29-27, 29-28, 29-28.

Favored by just about every MMA fan and pundit heading into his light heavyweight matchup with Tim Boetsch, fast-rising prospect Phil Davis
delivered on the expectations.

Davis ventured into Boetsch’s field of expertise for the opening half of the opening round and did just fine in the striking exchanges, kicking from the outside and keeping his hands high in defense. When he tired of that, Davis did the inevitable and took the fight to the floor.

Boetsch showed little ability to work back to his feet as Davis methodically delivered damage from the top, but he did make back to the standup in the final seconds when “Mr. Wonderful” scrambled away.

In the second, Davis took the fight again to the floor, and this time he brought in a rarely-seen kimura variation the UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan described as a “police maneuver.”

Working for a kimura on Boetsch’s left arm, Davis used just one arm to pin his opponent’s behind his back. Torquing the maneuver with Boetsch unable to escape, Davis forced the tap. The initial submission wasn’t seen, but Davis continued to crank and forced another, more definitive tapout.

Following the win, Davis said the finishing hold was a bit of an improvisation.

“I
kind of make it up as I go,” Davis said. “I think I just invented it. It’s called the ‘Mr. Wonderful.’ In wrestling we call it a chicken wing, but that’s
when the person is on their
stomach.”

Davis (8-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) remains undefeated and appears to have a bright future in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. Meanwhile, Boetsch (12-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) sees a three-fight win streak snapped as he drops to .500 in the UFC.

Sotiropoulos taps Lauzon in second

In the evening’s first pay-per-view fight, lightweights George Sotiropoulos and Joe Lauzon combined to deliver every bit of the toe-to-toe matchup that was expected of the two fast-rising contenders. But while Lauzon looked sharp in his feet early, he ultimately elected to engage on the floor and paid the price for the decision.

Lauzon actually was able to work to top position briefly in the frame, and he also reversed Sotiropoulos in the losing seconds in a closely contested round. That all changed in the second.

Sotiropoulos, sporting just one knee brace and one ankle wrap, continued to land the hands fly in the second frame, and he worked Lauzon’s body on the feet. As Lauzon looked to tire, the Australian contender kicked it into overdrive.

The fighters hit the floor on a scramble, and Sotiropoulos took top position. From there, he smothered his opponent from the top as he set up a kimura. When Lauzon defended the hold, Sotiropoulos opted for an armbar attempt that ultimately failed, but he worked again immediately for the kimura. Locked in , the hold was tight, and Lauzon was forced to tap.

Following the victory, Sotiropoulos said he worked frequently on the final maneuver while also once again expressing his desire to fight in his native Australia in February.
“The
Kimura is something we trained every day, and it was something I was
looking for,” Sotiropoulos said. “I want to thank Eddie Bravo for helping me with my
jiu-jitsu.

“I can’t wait to go back to Australia and celebrate with my family. I want to fight in Australia, too.”

With the impressive win, Sotiropoulos (14-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) has now earned seven-consecutive octagon wins. Meanwhile, Lauzon (19-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) falls to just 1-2 in his past three fights and continues to come up short in his biggest fights.

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